NANA SAYS CHILDREN KNOW HOW TO WASTE FOOD

The dilemma of every parent is feeding our children with nutritious food. Children always gravitate towards the sweets if available. Having well balanced meals with some of any child's favourite food helps. Two of my grandchildren love cheddar cheese so the appetizer tray always includes some cheese slices. A variety of fruit appeals to all of us, so fruit is available. Saying a cookie always goes with a glass of milk keeps some protein going for the little ones. Now with designer and vegetarian pizzas on whole wheat dough,the teenager can get some needed food requirements. Regardless, too much food does get wasted so there is the cost of the food as well as the concern of waste. Keeping portions low so there is not an expectation the child must eat everything on the plate. One trick I use with my grandchildren is to make a little platter of food always saying it is for you to share. For some reason, children like to compete on how many they take of something. If I made individual plates, I notice they do not eat as much. Exposure and perseverance do pay off. If the adults are eating well balanced meals then children are continually viewing good eating habits. However if the major of your meals are take out, take notice of the message you are conveying. It is easy to make simple meals from scratch. Even the busy working parent, can meal plan. If there is time, let the child help with planning and even some meal preparation. Having healthy choices available does make life easier. Regardless, there will be days when food makes it way into the disposal bin!